Artemis in her Place
by Ysrith
Summary: Sometimes the Gods are gracious and give back what they have taken. LeeKara, hint of KaraAnders.


Losing Lee nearly broke them. The loss of the Pegasus and all aboard almost destroyed the Fleet. Bill Adama seemed unsure what to do and that scared Kara. She had never seen him like that, not even after Zak had died. Lee's death had shattered the man. The grieving father stayed in his quarters and no one mentioned the fact that the President spent her nights there. Instead, they gathered themselves together and got on with their jobs. And so it was that Kara Thrace found herself standing alone on the flight-deck, waiting for her pilots to come home, alone once again.

The first night after Lee's death she had locked herself in a storage closet and drank herself senseless on Tyrol's potent home-brew. She had woken a few hours later to see Helo looking down at her. He said nothing. He never had to. That was one of the things she loved about him. He lifted her up and took her into the shower, washed and dried her, and took her back to her bunk. No one else was allowed into quarters that night and she finally fell asleep crying in his arms. The next morning when she woke he was gone. As she dressed, she stared at the old photo beside the mirror. She took it out and touched the faces of both men on it, then she folded it up and put it away. That was the day Kara Thrace accepted her place as Galactica's CAG.

Days passed and Bill Adama finally came out of his quarters and back to his command. No comment was made, but later playing Triad, Gaeta had told Kara that he had seen Dee leave the Old Man's room the night before. Kara watched the other woman from across the CIC. Dee stood at her post, she looked tired, dark bags under her eyes, and Kara realised that she was not the only one who had lost Lee. She was not quite sure how that made her feel, but that night the punch-bag in the gym took a pounding.

Weeks passed and time eased the pain somewhat, though she still looked for him on the flight-deck. It was the little things that still hurt. One day she stood in front of her pilots and as she went to finish the briefing with her usual "Good Hunting" and something just hit her, and it felt not quite right, so she stopped and looked at them, really looked at them. This time she sent them off with a "Be careful out there". The pilots looked up at her, Hotdog nodded solemnly, and they left in silence. She stood for a moment. They were "her" pilots now. Lee was gone. She hoped he was proud of her.

A few days later, she was called to the Briefing Room. All the senior staff had been gathered together. The President announced that she had made a decision. They were going to send a team back to Caprica to find survivors.

As the President and the Admiral detailed their proposal for the mission, Kara found her fingers moving to her single dog-tag and her thoughts straying to the man who wore the other one.

Sam...

In all the turmoil of the last few months she had not really thought about him. She felt guilty. He deserved better than that.

As she listened to the Admiral, Kara felt something almost like hope wake within her. Maybe, just maybe, the Gods would be gracious this time, and give her this one back.

In the end, she had to wait. They did not let her go on the mission. Bill Adama insisting that he could not afford to lose his CAG, not at this time. For once Kara held her tongue. She could read between the lines. He could not lose someone else. And as much as she wanted to be the one to go get Sam, she knew she owed that much to him. So Helo lead the team, and Kara stayed behind, playing the waiting game, pacing the CIC. Every now and again, Bill would place his hand on her shoulder,but still she could not help but worry, and feel useless and that she should be out there.

Hours passed and then suddenly Helo's voice sounded over the com, and in the middle of the chatter, one single line stood out.

"Heh Dee tell the CAG I've found something of hers!"

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The flight deck was in uproar. A large crowd was gathered around the Cylon Raider. People were shouting and hugging. She stood back for a second and watched. In the middle of the crowd, she could see Helo and Sam. She smiled. He had made it. Thank the Lords. She closed her eyes and muttered a quick prayer. As he walked towards her, she felt tears forming, and she found herself in his arms, hugging him tightly.

"Oh Sam, it is good to see you."

"You too."

She looked at Helo, who stood behind them a smirk on his face.

"Thank-you," She mouthed in response.

"Heh, I'm not finished yet," Helo smiled broadly. "You'd be surprised what you'd find in the Caprican undergrowth."

Sam let her go, a broad smile on his face, and she looked over to the crowd, which was still gathered around the Raider. Kat was whooping in delight, and Racetrack was hugging some stranger. She let go and he turned and looked at Kara.

At first she did not recognise him, with the long shaggy hair and the stubble and the over-sized army-jacket. But then he smiled and Kara's heart stopped. The noises around her dimmed and time slowed.

She found herself in front of him and she reached out and touched his face. He was thin and haggard and he had never looked so good. And in front of the entire crew, Kara Thrace grabbed him and kissed him and swore to Gods they would never take him from her again. 


End file.
